A geodesic tire is a tire having carcass cords which follow the special mathematical law: ρ cos α=ρ0 cos α0=constant. It was found that tires constructed with geodesic plies have unusual crown growth characteristics. Depending upon the specific application of the tire, a special belt package may be needed in order to restrict the crown growth. In addition it may be advantageous in certain tire applications to utilize a geodesic belt in combination with a radial carcass. Thus for the foregoing reasons, it is desired to provide an improved method and apparatus for forming a geodesic tire without the above described disadvantages.